WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF to FCE

• Put your plans on paper. Spell out your goals and ways to reach them.
• Be specific. The advice you give yourself must be such that you can put it into
practice.
• Break the task down into small pieces so that you can handle them easily.
• Establish checkpoints on your progress as well as rewards.
• Remind yourself of the benefits you expect from your tasks completion.
• Avoid temptations and circumstances that might sidetrack you.
• Recognize your limitations. Don’t set unrealistic goals.
• Take advantage of your own energy peaks!
• Use negative motivation. Remind yourself of the consequences of inaction.
• Keep a time-control budget. Don’t let one task take control over others.
• Set deadlines and hold yourself to them.
• Make an honest distinction between “I can’t” and “I don’t want to”.
• Get started now. Don’t stall.
• Improve your self-persuasion ability. Learn the difference between reasoning and
rationalizing.
• Be optimistic. Your chances for success will increase.
• Decide how you want to start, what needs to be done first.
• Read, especially literature related to your situation.
• Use self-signaling devices – notes, signs, cues, reminders.
• Promise yourself rewards.
• Use the stimulation provided by good news to do extra work.
• Recognize conflicts and make a choice.
• Give yourself the right to make mistakes. No one is perfect.
• Exercise your sense of humor. Laughter indicates a realistic point of view

How to Avoid the Most Common Mistakes of the Speaking Part

In Part 2 (responding to pictures) candidates tend to simply compare and contrast the pictures without listening to all parts of the task. The secondpart of the task usually begins ‘and say what/why/how ….. , so try not to forgetthat part as well!

A similar problem in Part 3 (doing a task with your partner) is not carrying out the task fully. (If you haven’t understood what you are supposed to discuss then you may ask the examiner to repeat his/her instructions.)

To get top marks in this section you need to be able to do the following things:- take a full part in the discussion- express your own opinions clearly- listen to your partner’s opinions and develop their comments- disagree with your partner (where necessary) in a friendly and polite manner

Above all, try and enjoy the Speaking Paper. It’s your chance to show the examiners how well you can communicate in English

FCE Students 2007

It's a pleasure to introduce my high-achieving FCE students. From left to right you see Dani, Vicky, Mariela, Cami, Marcelo, Carolina, Cony, Pancha, Fran and Paula. They are soaring high to achieve excellence. Ms. Alejandra

Getting things done

Suggesting a course of action (including the speaker):
let's + verb
shall we + verb
we could + verb
what about + verb + ing
we might + verb

Requesting others to do something:
please + verb, would/could you (please) + verb
would be so kind as to...
would you mind + verb + ing
Inviting others to do something:
would you like + verb
what about + verb + ing
how about + verb + ing
Advising others to do something:
you should + verb
you ought to + verb
why don't you + verb
I can recommend

What does it mean to ´know’ a word ?

To understand it when it is written or spoken
To recall it when you need it
To use it with the correct meaning
To use it in a grammatically correct way
To pronounce it correctly
To know which other words you can (and cannot) use with it
To spell it correctly
To use it in the right situation
To know if it has positive or negative connotations

Thoughts about Learning Vocabulary:

It is a branching process rather than a linear one (words are learnt in association with others)

It is an intensely personal process (associations depend on our past and present experience)

It is a social process, not a solitary one (we expand our understanding of meaning by interchanging and sharing with others)

It is not simply an intellectual process, but an experiential ‘hands-on’ process, too (language is not an object - it has to be incorporated within the learner)